Monday, March 7

In a world with growing technological connectivity, cyberattacks
are growing more and more common. As these attacks become more commonplace,
there is the increasing risk that an attack could successfully target the
United States’ energy system. If this were to happen, it could have a
devastating effect on the country’s economy, and on the citizen’s health. The
resulting blackout could last for weeks…or for months.

How prepared are we for such an event? Author Ted Koppel
argues that we are not well prepared at all. While groups such as FEMA are
prepared for acts of natural disaster, such as an earthquake or hurricane, thy
are not at all prepared for a potential nation-wide disaster. After all, we’ve
seen their limitations with events such as Hurricane Katrina. And homeland security?
Their recommendation is to keep a battery powered radio on hand.